On Friday, Jan. 30, Xaviersobased’s self-titled debut studio album Xavier was released; however, the album fell short of fans’ expectations due to a repetitive tracklist and low-effort vocals. This is underground rap artist Xaviersobased’s first album in two years since With 2 (hosted by d9lton), released June 5, 2024. Xaviersobased specializes in a subgenre of underground rap called “jerk,” which he popularized beginning in 2020 and incorporates into Xavier.
Xavier Lopez (otherwise known as Xaviersobased) grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York, where he developed a unique musical style inspired by those around him. He would eventually claim jerk as his main genre. Jerk is a newer rap genre that emerged in the late 2010s, and Xaviersobased’s success made him the face of it. Xaviersobased grew in popularity due to songs on TikTok blowing up, featuring underground rap artists such as Nettspend, Osamason, and Yhapojj, who have cemented their names in the hip-hop industry this decade.
In a sense, the 22-track album is very similar to Xavier’s other projects because it’s very jerk-centered, as opposed to any typical rap beats. The features on this project are also very diverse, featuring artists such as Rio Da Yung OG, Ksuuvi, and Osamason, who come from various branches and genres within the rap community.
Track two, “iPhone 16”, the lead single of the album, was released a week before the album’s full drop, creating excitement and garnering an audience for the upcoming album. “iPhone 16” is one of the songs on the album that didn’t feel generic, because it was not only familiar due to its prior release, but the production was more unique and didn’t feel like its sole purpose on the album was filler, unlike other tracks. This song had more soul than the rest of the album as a result.
Track eight, “Zelle You,” was one of the album’s more dynamic songs because Xaviersobased raps about his net worth and how he spends a vast amount of money throughout the song. This is a common theme throughout the album. “Go get your nails done, baby imma Zelle you,” he raps. Despite the song’s repetitive quality, it’s still pretty catchy.
One of the only notable tracks on this album is number 18, “Give It Up” (feat. Osamason). The beat stood out more than the others on the album because of its connection to underground music, rather than to jerk music, which makes it stand out from most songs on the album. But alas, Xaviersobased uses the same flow and mixing, which makes the song less enjoyable to hear. Osamason’s verse didn’t stand out either, with both Xaviersobased and Osamason using vulgarity to describe themselves and each other, so there’s no defending the lyrical side of “Give it up.”
Track 19, “Negative Canthal Tilt,” caught the attention of many fans due to its ridiculous name stemming from “looksmaxxing” culture. In this song, Xaviersobased doesn’t put much thought into what he’s saying, which makes it a hilarious listen. The lyricism of this song was carefree, which made it not only intriguing and goofy but also an enjoyable listen.
This mediocre album had no variation of beats or rap cadence, creating the impression that Xaviersobased rushed through it. There was so much potential for this album to be great, but it just wasn’t, and for this reason, Xaviersobased’s newest album, Xavier, receives two out of five feathers.
